


The Price of a Life

by dragons_SRSunn



Category: Scarlet and Ivy Series - Sophie Cleverly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:02:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29269188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragons_SRSunn/pseuds/dragons_SRSunn
Summary: Edith Gray visits Rookwood Boarding School for Girls to identify and claim the body of her stepdaughter.
Kudos: 1





	The Price of a Life

**Author's Note:**

> This was really written by a friend who was too shy to get her own account.

Edith Gray followed Miss Fox down the main hall of Rookwood, wrinkling her nose. She'd only been in the building for a few moments, and she already couldn't wait to leave. It was stuffy and damp, and smelled funny-like spoiled stew, maybe?

"This way," Miss Fox-what was her first name, anyway? She'd only introduced her self as "Miss Fox"-said, her voice clipped, turning down a side hall, limping slightly. She'd barely spoken to Edith, aside from verifying who she was when Edith first showed up. Students seemed to scatter at the sight of her.

Miss Fox entered an office, motioning for Edith to follow her. As she reached to turn on the light, her sleeve moved up slightly, and Edith caught a glimpse of red on her arm. Before she could see clearly what it was, Miss Fox pulled her sleeve down and sat down at the desk. Edith waited to sit on the other side until the deputy headmistress was seated-she may be an adult, but this was Miss Fox's office in Miss Fox's school, and she had been raised with manners, unlike _some_ people, such as the reason she was here.

Why Mortimer couldn't come get the body of his own daughter she didn't know, but he'd asked her to do it-begged her, really, probably thinking the whole time about how Scarlet was dead now just like his Emmeline-so now she was here, going out of her way, wasting a full day, just to make Mortimer happy and save him from having to see his dead daughter. The only good thing about this was that the little brat was dead. Although why she couldn't just be buried in the town cemetery or something she didn't know.

"So," Miss Fox said, startling Edith. "You are Mrs. Edith Gray."

"Yes," Edith said. Could they get this over with already? Who _else_ would come here for Scarlet?

"You are the stepmother of Scarlet Gray?"

"Yes," Edith said again.

Miss Fox pursed her lips. "From what I have seen and heard," she said slowly,"I gather that you and your stepdaughter..were not very close?"

Edith snorted. "To put it mildly," she muttered. Really, anyone who had seen the two of them together for more than two minutes could figure that out.

"I see," Miss Fox said, her face expressionless. "And so...you would be...relieved, that she is gone? Not bothering you or your family anymore?"

"How can you say that?" Edith gasped, her face the perfect picture of shock. "My poor husband is grieving, he doesn't know what to do with himself, and her sister-"

"Her sister. Yes," Miss Fox said. "Spare me the theatrics, please, Mrs. Gray. I saw the argument the two of you had when you dropped her off here. I heard her complain about you for months. I am simply wondering-"her eyes glittered-"if her feelings were reciprocated."

Edith blinked. "If you insist," she began,"I have always done my best to be as close to a mother figure as I can be to my two poor motherless stepdaughters. But Scarlet feels that I am intruding on her family; she refuses to accept me. She picks fights with me, she riles up her sister against me, she tries to turn her father against me, and when we send her to school is she grateful to get an education?! No, she is not! Let me tell you, the letters she sent me were...not complimentary, to say the least. So if you ask what I feel- _felt-_ toward her-I feel only-disappointment, I suppose, and yes, anger-which is no better than _she_ treated _me_! She would not grieve over my death, but I assure you-"

"Enough." Miss Fox raised a hand, and Edith fell silent. She hadn't meant to say all of that. The deputy headmistress of Rookwood had an air of authority about her that made you want to do whatever she said( _or else_ ).

"This has been...rather revealing," Miss Fox went on.

"Has it?" Edith asked, trying to keep her face blank.

"Yes. There was no love, or even fondness, lost between you and your stepdaughter." Miss Fox stated it plainly, as though it was an undisputed fact(which, to be fair, it was).

Miss Fox took a deep breath. Here was where she took a dangerous gamble. If it was successful, her plans would succeed and Scarlet Gray would be lost forever. But if it wasn't...

"What if I told you that Scarlet Gray was not dead?"

"She isn't?" What was Edith here for then?! She had things to do besides identifying bodies of stepdaughters that weren't even dead!

"Listen," Miss Fox said. "Your stepdaughter was...a _hindrance_. To me. To my plans." She hesitated, then added,"You can certainly understand that."

"I can," Edith admitted.

"So I had her... _removed_."

"So she _is_ dead?"

"No. But she is somewhere no one will ever find her."

Well, if Scarlet wasn't dead after all, this was the next best thing, Edith supposed. "Where is she?"

Miss Fox took another risky chance. "Does it matter?"

Edith paused, than gave a small smile. "I suppose not."

Miss Fox knew she had succeeded.

"Listen," she said again. "It is in my best interests that everyone thinks that she is dead. And yours, too."

"Mine?" Edith asked. "How?" Was she trying to blackmail her?

"For the right... _persuasion_ , shall I say," Miss Fox explained, "Officials can be bribed and death certificates can be forged.

Edith tensed.

"I am suggesting, that for a similar persuasion, you would go home and tell your husband and stepdaughter that Scarlet Gray is dead and buried."

So she was trying to bribe her, not blackmail her.

What in the world had Scarlet done that was worth spending money on? She must have been a greater nuisance than ever. She wondered how Miss Fox had gotten rid of her. It had been hard enough getting her to _come_ to Rookwood-Edith had literally had to drag her out of the auto.

Edith remembered Miss Fox's limp, as though her foot had recently been kicked or stomped on. Edith knew how that felt-Scarlet had given her some experience. And she remembered the red mark on her arm, like a scratch or a bruise. And her face was heavily made up, as though to cover more scratches and bruises.

Wherever Scarlet had gone, she had not gone willingly.

Then again, when had Scarlet done anything willingly?

And now the little nuisance was gone, hopefully forever.

The hard part would be lying to Mortimer, but she was good at that. Depending on how much money Miss Fox gave her to keep her silent, she would be able to afford some fo the necessities and luxuries she'd wanted and needed for herself and her sons. She could always squeeze some more money out of her later by threatening to tell Mortimer the truth.

And now that Scarlet was gone, maybe she could convince Mortimer to send the other one to Rookwood too. Then she'd be rid of both of them. Maybe she would get lucky and Miss Fox would "remove" her too, but that was unlikely-the little mouse barely ever spoke to anyone, much less became that much of a bother to anyone. Still, Edith would take what she could get.

"I see," Edith said finally, keeping her face expressionless. "How much are you offering?"


End file.
